Putin’s spokesman confirmed “Russia’s reluctance to negotiate on terms other than the surrender of Ukraine” – ISW

The Kremlin continues to publicly demonstrate its lack of interest in any peaceful settlement, except for the complete capitulation of the Ukrainian government and the destruction of the Ukrainian state, analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) write.

They remind that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Russia’s invitation to the second Peace Summit, but “the Kremlin has not shown any interest in participating.”

“On September 22, Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov stated that there is “no alternative” to Russia’s victory in Ukraine, confirming Russia’s reluctance to negotiate on terms other than Ukraine’s surrender. Peskov also called NATO and the West a “collective enemy.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently announced that Russia will not participate in the second Ukrainian peace summit or any “similar summits,” according to ISW experts.

The Institute for the Study of War maintained its assessment that “the Kremlin is not interested in good-faith peace talks with Ukraine” and that “the Kremlin will only invoke the concept of ‘peace plans’ and ‘negotiations’ to encourage the West to pressure Ukraine into making pre-emptive concessions on sovereignty and territorial integrity”.